Contradiction
by Nitroid
Summary: Natsu and Gazille agree on the same job, but both Dragon Slayers insist on getting the prize reward for himself. However, what the boys assumed was a normal mission soon turns into a quest for survival. Gazille/Natsu.


**Summary: **Natsu and Gazille agree on the same job, but both Dragon Slayers insist on getting the prize reward for himself. The job's location is a forbidden area known for strange magical effects on trespassers. What the boys assumed was a normal mission soon turns into a quest for survival.

This is my first Gazille/Natsu fic. :) I hope to make many more; I just adore this pairing!

**X**

"I saw it first!" Natsu hollered, keeping a tight grip on the piece of paper. The four corners had been inevitably ripped from under the thumbtacks used to pin it to the cork board.

Wrenching at his end, Gazille hissed back at his pink haired rival. "Like I give a fuck. I got to it first."

Both males glared daggers at each other, still holding on for dear life to the job paper. From behind them, Gray leaned against the edge of the request board and sighed.

"Come on, why don't you guys just team up for this one?" He waved a hand airily. "That sounds like a pretty tough job for just one person, and the two of you pack a punch. You'll get the prize reward in no time."

Seated at a table opposite the boys, Lucy nodded in agreement. "That's true. How much is the prize, anyway?"

Both Dragon Slayers flipped the paper in an effort to read the details. Happy hovered nearby in curious anticipation.

"800,000 jewels." Gazille was practically salivating. "That's a lot of jewels."

Natsu nodded enthusiastically. "That's why I wanna try this out by myself! And with Happy, of course!"

"Aye!" Happy chorused cheerfully.

"No way in hell am I letting you take this quest!" Gazille growled, tugging at the paper. "Go take on some other kiddy quest. This job is _mine_."

One could practically feel the little zings of electricity between the two tense Dragon Slayers. Natsu was packing big attitude, because when he was this riled up, he was prone to running on a destructive rampage. Gazille on the other hand, was his usual hostile, menacing self. One of the traits both males had in common was the ability to be combative as hell, especially when it came to the sensitive issue of pride.

"Did you just imply that I'm weaker than you?" Natsu said, bright orange fire crackling on his skin.

"Well, we all know it's the truth." Gazille responded with a derisive smirk, faint traces of metallic dragon scales showing on his face and arms. "This job would be too tough for a pipsqueak like you."

"I'm not a pipsqueak!" Natsu yelled defiantly, clenching his free hand in a rage. "I'm a real dragon slayer!"

"Says the kid who only comes up to my chest."

Natsu's usually bright, cheerful eyes narrowed into an indignant stare. Gazille's smirk grew into a satisfied grin.

The other occupants in the guild grew silent, wary of a fight they definitely knew would occur. The cost to repair the damage inside of the guild was a weight on their shoulders. Master Makarov was away at a meeting, and there wasn't anyone strong enough in the guild to prevent the fight from breaking out. Lucy and Gray could probably stop Natsu, but there was no one around to stop Gazille. The only other person who knew him well was Juvia, and she was out on a solo mission in another town.

No one noticed when another Fairy Tail member strode in until Gazille and Natsu were suddenly faced with the sharp ends of multiple floating swords, forming a circle around their neck area.

"If you're going to fight, have your brawl outside." Erza commanded stonily. "I won't have unnecessary damage done to the guild. Master put me in charge while he's away, and I don't feel like disappointing him."

Her swords still didn't move from the throats of the Dragon Slayers. Gazille eyed her warily, knowing it was wise to keep his mouth shut. Natsu on the other hand, shivered and waved his free hand feebly at the mage warrior nicknamed Titania.

"Okay, you win. I'll be good." Natsu said cajolingly. "Remove your swords, Erza. Pretty please?"

Somewhere behind the request board, Gray hissed a warning at him. "Don't go overboard, Natsu!"

Erza glared at him. Natsu promptly clamped his mouth shut.

"Give me that." She walked up toward them and snatched the paper easily from their fists. "The two of you have been fighting over a _job_?"

There was no missing the incredulity in her tone. Gazille dropped his hand to his side and looked away pointedly.

"Well…" Natsu laughed sheepishly. "I really want to do a job by myself."

Gazille narrowed his eyes at him. "I picked that job for _myself_."

"But _I _grabbed it first!" Natsu argued, a small frown marring his boyish features. "Then you just had to come and _steal_ it from me."

"I don't steal." Gazille aimed a furious glare at him.

"Enough!" Erza stomped an armor clad foot on the ground for emphasis. "If the two of you are so keen on doing the same job, why don't you both do it together?"

"That's exactly what I suggested." Gray rolled his eyes. "Although I don't know why I bother."

Gazille shifted his glare to Erza. "No."

Natsu stuck his tongue out at him. "I can't work with him!"

"That's pretty obvious. Alright … how about this," Erza sighed, running a hand through her long red tresses. "You both go for the same job and the person who manages to complete it first gets the jewels. How does that sound?"

Gazille's eyes glinted as his competitive streak was fired up. "I'll get the reward for sure."

"So you agree to cooperate with each other until then?" Erza looked from Natsu to Gazille expectantly. "I don't really require you two to act like you're friends, but there will be no more fighting in the guild."

Natsu eyed Gazille sullenly. "I will if he doesn't provoke me."

"You're the one doing the provoking!" Gazille growled, but released his grip on the paper. "Fine. It's on."

"Now shake hands." Erza ordered, planting on hand on her hip. "Seal the deal."

Dourly, both Dragon Slayers gripped each other's hands and shook, neither male willing to get into trouble with Erza. They breathed a sigh of relief when Erza finally removed her swords, causing them to vanish as she sealed her magic.

"You'll come with me, right?" Gazille reached down to pat his cat on the head.

Pantherlily nodded. "Of course."

Lucy looked at Gray, who shrugged and eased his way out from behind the request board. "Good luck, you two. I'll be rooting for you both."

Gazille ignored her and made his way to the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Natsu called, still holding on to the paper.

"To start the job, obviously." The Iron Dragon replied without turning around. "I'm not going to wait around for a runt like you."

Gritting his teeth, Natsu stormed after him, with Happy trailing along behind. Other guild members called out their goodbyes and how much they were betting on each Dragon Slayer.

"I hope they come back okay." Lucy worried, tapping her pen on her notebook. "That is, if they don't kill each other before they even start the job…"

Sliding into a seat beside her, Levy laughed a tinkly laugh. "I'm pretty sure they'll be alright. You gotta have more faith in them, you know. They aren't Dragon Slayers for nothing."

X

Gazille made his way toward the port, looking around for a good ship to transport them to the island. He'd forgotten the name of the island, and Natsu had the job paper. Turning around, he looked for the pink haired teenager.

"Oi." He walked over to where Natsu was on his knees, clutching at his stomach. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"He's feeling sick." Happy explained, one hand on Natsu's arm. "Didn't you know about his transportation problems?"

Pantherlily reached out and patted Natsu's leg sympathetically. "Breathe deeply and swallow."

Staring down at Natsu with scorn, Gazille folded his arms across his chest. "We haven't even set foot on a ship yet! Are you _that _weak?"

"…S-Shut up," Natsu managed to retort weakly. "Go away."

"You've got the job paper, idiot. Tell me the name of the island."

Obligingly, Happy peeled the paper out from under Natsu's sweaty palm. "Szagroth Island, the forbidden land hidden in the east."

"That's a dangerous place." Pantherlily concluded. "I heard that it has a strong magical influence on trespassers. No one really makes it out there without some sort of strange ailment."

Gazille pumped a fist. "Good. Sounds like a challenge to me."

Natsu emitted a low groan, unable to come up with proper speech as his stomach churned violently. Even being near the long row of ships was making him feel weak and frail. It was a little embarrassing to be like this in front of Gazille. If only he could invent some way of travelling without moving on something – he'd definitely be rich and famous.

Suddenly, there were hands around his waist and legs, and Natsu felt himself get lifted up princess style. He issued a weak protest, feebly pushing at Gazille's toned chest.

"Shut up." Gazille walked forward into the direction of a ship. "I'm not doing this out of charity or anything. I just want to fight with you so I can know who's the strongest."

"Mmnnh." Natsu groaned in response, feeling his stomach twist into knots.

Behind their backs, Happy and Pantherlily exchanged knowing smiles. If the boys chose to get along, they could be pretty good friends.

**X**

"I can't go any further than this." The captain of the ship told Gazille, who was leaning against the ship's rail, looking out over the horizon. "It's getting dark soon, and we have other ports to reach before nightfall."

Shooting a glance at Natsu – who was balanced on the opposite rail, hands flopping down over the sides as he struggled with his weakness – Gazille nodded at the captain.

"We're close to the island now, right? Can you drop us at the beach?"

The captain agreed readily and left to attend to his duties. Gazille headed over to Natsu, who was fairly frothing at the mouth.

"Get ready to leave. We're almost there."

"Nnnnh." Natsu mumbled listlessly, feeling his knees tremble.

Gazille watched his pathetic, lifeless form expressionlessly. Happy and Pantherlily hovered worriedly at his side. When the ship docked, the impact caused Natsu to slip over the ship's sturdy rail. Happy rushed to grab him, but Gazille reached him first.

Throwing the half-conscious boy over one shoulder, Gazille nodded his thanks at the captain before dropping several jewels into his hand. Then he exited the ship without another word, leaving Pantherlily and Happy to follow of their own accord.

**X**

"Put me down!" Natsu hollered for all his lungs' worth, pummeling the back of Gazille's huge back. "I've got legs, alright? I can walk on my own!"

"Says the kid who was puking his guts out all over the place."

Feeling a light blush spread over his cheeks, Natsu stopped hitting the other Dragon Slayer. "I – I can't help it!"

"I know."

Natsu felt confused. Gazille's strong metallic scent – with another underlying smell that was causing his skin to prickle – was filling his nostrils, almost overpowering him. The strong grip Gazille had on his waist was sending little tingles up and down his spine, but it could also be the result of being carried by someone. Either way, the motion wasn't making him feel comfortable.

"Then put me down! I'm fine now!"

Gazille stopped in his tracks and set Natsu down on the ground, amid a wide range of wild island flowers and lush greenery.

"There you go, _princess_."

Sputtering indignantly, Natsu leapt to his feet, his fingers clenched into fists. "Dammit, Gazille, stop pissing me off!"

"I haven't been doing anything," Gazille said as he stuck his pinky in one ear nonchalantly. "You're the only one getting pissed over nothing."

Seeing Natsu's growing irritation, Happy tugged at his old friend's pants leg. "Remember what Erza said, Natsu!"

Pantherlily spared Natsu one sympathetic glance before pattering after Gazille, who was heading deeper into the forest of the vast island.

"Grah!" Natsu released his pent-up frustration at the nearest tree, his fist colliding with the ringed wood. "What's that bastard's problem?"

Gazille and Pantherlily were already out of sight.

Happy sighed and shook his head. "Let's just do what we came here for, and get the prize reward quickly."

"You're right," Natsu said, beaming down at his cat. "I'm glad you're with me, Happy!"

They grinned at each other and set off down a different path. There were beautiful, exotic flowers everywhere, and the flowery scents were overlapping each other. Natsu sniffed the air appreciatively, as did Happy.

"This place is really amazing!" Natsu threw his arms out wide. "Everything smells awesome!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed, imitating Natsu's actions. "Some of the flowers even smell like fish!"

Looking down at his cat, Natsu furrowed his brow in confusion. "Can flowers smell like fish?"

Happy shrugged. "Who cares? It smells good!"

His simplicity kicking in, Natsu broke into a happy grin and nodded. "Yeah! And look up there! There's some really pretty things floating around."

Indeed there were; little round spore-like balls of fluff were spiraling downward gracefully. They were of a pretty, glowing white hue.

"What are they?" Natsu asked curiously, reaching up to flick one nearest to him.

A little ways beyond the duo, the thick green bushes started shaking with vigor.

**X**

"What the hell is up with this island?" Gazille muttered to Pantherlily as they made their way back to the same clearing for the umpteenth time. "Is there some sort of magical barrier preventing us from travelling in deeper?"

An hour had passed, and they still hadn't managed to get anywhere further. It was infuriating. Gazille ground his teeth in exasperation. They had come across the exact same group of trees and clumps of flowers about fifteen times.

Tapping one small paw on his chin, the Exceed nodded thoughtfully. "It's quite possible. After all, this island is forbidden, as stated in the paper."

Gazille whirled around. "We gotta search for a hidden pearl, right? What else did that paper say?"

"No clue," Pantherlily said. "Natsu was holding it, remember?"

Feeling a spike of annoyance at the very mention of that brat's name, Gazille aimed a light punch at the nearest tree. "Damn that kid. That means he has the rest of the details. No way am I gonna let him find the pearl before I do."

"Well … perhaps it would be best to find him and demand to look at the paper again." Pantherlily suggested with a smile. "After all, you do have a right to read it, since you're doing the same job."

No sooner had the words left the Exceed's mouth when a loud, familiar holler sounded from a thick clump of greenery.

"CRAP!"

"Natsu … ?" Gazille's jaw dropped when the smaller teen crashed out of the bushes with Happy.

"RUN!" Natsu yelled before rushing past him, white scarf flying out behind him. "IT'S A MONSTER!"

Speechless, Gazille turned and looked at the bushes in anticipation. It was rustling rather violently. Pantherlily backed away apprehensively.

With a soft crunching of twigs, a medium sized deer trotted out into the clearing. Its large doe eyes were wide with curiosity, and it was sniffing the air keenly.

"What the hell was that kid talking about?" Gazille narrowed his eyes at the deer, which continued to sniff at his general direction. "This isn't even close to a monster."

"Maybe we should check …" Pantherlily headed in the direction of the bushes. "Something could be lurking here."

The deer quickly loped away into another set of bushes when the Exceed approached. It was evidently not used to humans – or cats, for that matter. Gazille followed Pantherlily and pushed open the clump of bushes, revealing another wide clearing, this time filled with pretty flowers of all sizes. There was a strong floral scent invading his nostrils.

"Look above!" Pantherlily exclaimed, pointing with a small paw. "There's spores of some kind."

Indeed there were – the very same spores Natsu and Happy had seen previously – big white fluffs floating about everywhere. There were hundreds of them, covering every space in the air.

Gazille's survival instinct kicked in. "Don't get close. Natsu's been here for a while, it seems. I can smell traces of his scent. Whatever's been here did something to him."

"It could be the magic of this island." Pantherlily concluded. "I mean, it's said that the magic influences each trespasser differently. Those people who hid the pearl here probably didn't even make it out alive."

Releasing a short bark of scornful laughter, Gazille shook his head and let go of the bushes. "If they didn't make it out of here, how'd our client know about this pearl?"

His Exceed nodded while he mused. "Hmm … that's true too."

The crackling of twigs made them turn around. Natsu was standing there, shivering. Happy was clinging to his left leg; eyes squeezed shut as his small frame trembled.

"H-Has it gone …?" Natsu stammered.

"If you mean the small deer, yeah." Gazille sighed and shook his head. "Stop quaking in your boots. It's not like you at all."

"B-But it was huge! And everything seemed really creepy!" Natsu swallowed nervously. "I – I was really scared!"

With a sudden rush, he ran forward and buried his face in Gazille's chest, issuing a choking sob. Happy lunged at Pantherlily with a small cry.

"Let go!" Surprised, Gazille tried to pry Natsu's hands off him. "Stop clinging to me!"

A light pat on his shin made him look down. Pantherlily was holding Happy in a tight embrace, a stern look on his face.

"It would be better to calm them down so we can gather some information about what happened." The Exceed advised. "Wouldn't that be more reasonable? Right now, they're really afraid; we won't get much sense out of them."

Unused to being embraced this tightly – by a shivering child no less – Gazille gulped and waved his hands around guiltily, uncertain of where to put them. Clearly, it wasn't Natsu's fault. He had a bad feeling about those spores.

Settling for patting Natsu's head awkwardly, Gazille allowed the boy to cling onto him without another word.

"I was so scared!" Natsu wailed, clutching onto Gazille's black sleeveless jacket. "It was huge!"

"Shh." Running his fingers through Natsu's pink hair, Gazille concluded that looks were deceiving.

Natsu's hair, though spiky looking, was actually soft and smooth to the touch. It was unlike his own hair, which was rough and dry, hence the reason it stuck up in every angle. Having grown tired of it flopping down onto his face, Gazille had opted to push it all back so it didn't get in the way during fights. It made his angular face stand out even more, but he could care less.

"You're so loud."

Watching Natsu hiccup and nuzzle into the folds of his clothing was sending little tingles of something through his veins. Gazille hadn't a clue what they meant, but as long as they weren't dangerous, he could deal with them. When Natsu pulled away to wipe at the tears pooling in his eyes, Gazille felt a strong urge to pull him back into his arms.

Struggling to ignore that instinct, the Iron dragon slayer returned his arms to his sides with clenched fists. Below them, Pantherlily flicked his gaze from Natsu to Gazille with a suspicious frown. Happy's shudders were lessening now, thanks to Pantherlily's occasional soothing noises.

Then, as if something snapped, everything turned back to normal.

"Eh …?" Natsu blinked, looking at his hands in confusion. They were wet with his tears. "What happened … I'm crying?"

Gazille stared.

"Aye, what's going on?" Happy stepped back from Pantherlily uncertainly.

**X**

"So you're saying you have no recollection of what you saw?"

"It's fading away." Natsu rubbed a hand over his eyes tiredly. "I just know that it was something really frightening; I almost peed my pants."

"But what were you doing before that, can you recall?" Pantherlily pressed.

Natsu frowned. One could almost visualize his effort to remember. "There were big fluffy things. White in color, floating from above. They were pretty."

"Aye." Happy nodded in agreement.

Gazille shared a look with his Exceed. "What happened after you saw them?"

"I touched one of them." Natsu mused. "Just flicked it with my finger."

Happy broke into a smile. "Some of the flowers smelled like fish!"

It was Pantherlily's turn to stare. "_Can_ flowers smell like fish?"

"That's what I asked, too." Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Natsu sighed. "Anyway, after I flicked it, everything became weird, like my senses grew sharper and stuff. They're already pretty sharp, but it's like there was something in the air that heightened them."

"I'm just guessing, but …" Gazille leaned against the tree behind him. "Those white spores must carry some sort of magical influence in them. You say nothing much happened before you touched one, right? So maybe, just by touching one of them, you got a little delusional. And your senses got keener, huh? Can you elaborate on that?"

Natsu looked at him in exasperation. "I can't exactly explain it. I just felt like I could see and hear everything with better clarity. And you know how sharp my vision and hearing are. Yours are the same, right?"

Gazille nodded. "What else?"

"So when there was some loud rustling in the bushes, Happy and I were really freaked out. Then something huge came out. Its eyes were enormous! My heart almost stopped."

Happy shivered again. "It had white spots too, on its back."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"It was a small deer you saw." Pantherlily told them. "It probably seemed like something monstrous because of the magic spores. It's just our assumption, so take it with a pinch of salt. There could be something else lurking around, though."

This was greeted with an apprehensive silence before Gazille spoke.

"Splitting up may not be a good idea." He voiced his thoughts without hesitation. "It's not that I'm trying to say I want to work together, so don't get the wrong idea. This would be for the best if we both want to stay alive long enough and fight each other."

Natsu looked blank for a moment. "Oh. Right. Fight each other. That's the best."

"Are you alright?" Pantherlily asked gently. "Perhaps you should rest for a while … there's no telling the side effects of this island's magic."

Sitting down shakily, Natsu bit his bottom lip and avoided everyone's eyes. Happy trotted over to plop himself down beside him.

"I shall explore around on this end of the island." Pantherlily sniffed the air. "I can smell the sea, so we must still be near the beach. We haven't gone deep enough as of yet."

"Good idea." Gazille agreed. "I'll head with you."

As Pantherlily headed in the bushes, something tugged at Gazille's pants leg.

It was Natsu, whose cheeks were dusted with a light blush. "T-Thanks for … earlier."

Surprised, Gazille nodded. "No problem."

Happy watched them both, an amused smile playing on the edges of his little mouth. An awkward silence ensued.

"Uh … could you let go of my pants?" Gazille asked gruffly.

Flustered, Natsu pulled his hand away and leaned back against the tree. "S-Sorry."

Walking after Pantherlily, Gazille snuck back another look at his fellow Dragon Slayer, who was struggling to fight his blush. Happy was giggling behind his two front paws.

What really happened to Natsu? The ex-Phantom Guild member wondered. Why did Happy and Pantherlily seem to watch them with those … entertained smiles on their faces – almost as if they were laboratory rats? He felt like he had grown an extra head.

Nonetheless, he reminded himself that he wasn't exactly friends with Natsu yet. They were merely tolerating each other until the day came when they could fight freely to establish who was the strongest. For now, he still had a job to complete.

There was a call from Pantherlily, and Gazille shoved all questions and doubts to the back of his mind, determined to focus on the current obstacles. Natsu was just a distraction, like he'd always been. How was he any different now?

**X**

**I discovered that I love drawing Natsu and Gazille together. I've always wondered what Gazille would look like without all his piercings. :D**


End file.
